Why can't spiritual work heal the shadow?

[billiesimon]

@Leo Gura you mentioned in your book reviews that developing consciousness and spirituality a lot of times doesn't affect the shadow, which needs a western approach to be healed (therapy, shadow work).

Why is that? 

Shouldn't enlightenment practice cast the light of awareness on the shadow too?

[DrewNows]

24 minutes ago, billiesimon said:

Shouldn't enlightenment practice cast the light of awareness on the shadow too?

Sometimes it does but I would say you don’t know what you don’t know. 

Shadow self is part of the illusion of self. This means it must be understood through the self

Edited May 18, 2019 by DrewNows

[Cocolove]

read: Integral spirituality, ken wilber.

[Inliytened1]

@billiesimon i believe it does if you reach a fully abiding non-dual state.  That's where I'm at now and all my addictions have melted away.

I'm not yet sure if it will last but after the last experience i had of realizing i was truly alone and God..all things were me, i will Never be the Same.  I can't even fool myself otherwise anymore.

Edited May 19, 2019 by Inliytened1

[Leo Gura]

Sometimes it can. But meditation is usually more focused on hitting higher states of consciousness rather than addressing buried psychological baggage.

There are many layers to your mind which root many of your personal problems which meditation is largely unconcerned with.

A lot of Zen masters and enlightened masters can still have significant shadow.

[Joseph Maynor]

You can't heal what you don't see.  You gotta know what's in your shadow first before you can work to heal it.  This is a knowledge process.

[cetus]

2 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

You can't heal what you don't see.  You gotta know what's in your shadow first before you can work to heal it.  This is a knowledge process.

@Joseph Maynor Wise words for sure.

[Joseph Maynor]

4 minutes ago, cetus56 said:

@Joseph Maynor Wise words for sure.

Somebody should so a Shadow Work course.  A course where you're made aware of what's in your shadow and then given some exercises to work on that.

Edited May 19, 2019 by Joseph Maynor

[cetus]

17 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

Somebody should so a Shadow Work course.  

Who shouldn't do shadow work?

Anyway, good overall observation! Yes , identification is key.

[DrewNows]

@Joseph Maynor maybe your coaching style could focus on shadow work...the course is yours! 

[Joseph Maynor]

5 hours ago, DrewNows said:

@Joseph Maynor maybe your coaching style could focus on shadow work...the course is yours! 

I would love to.  Shadow Work is all about getting to know your own wiring.  Shadow Work is like Life Purpose work; it's getting to know yourself better.  That work is right up my alley.

Edited May 19, 2019 by Joseph Maynor

[ivory]

I hear a lot of people wanting to know more about shadow work but I often wonder why. Shadow work is really, really confusing.

[tedens]

@Joseph Maynor Get to work.

[Farnaby]

IMO since spiritual work allows to accept your reality how it is, shows you how everything is impermanent and helps you disidentify from your thoughts, it helps a lot with healing the shadow. 

In order to heal our shadow we need to accept it and embrace it (instead of hiding it and not wanting to feel certain things). I can't think of a more profound way to do this than spiritual work, meditation, etc., although there are lots of other ways to get in touch with your shadow and work on it (psychotherapy, journalling, etc.).

Of course meditation can be used just as a healthy habit, but I think you can use it in order to heal the shadow too. 

10 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Sometimes it can. But meditation is usually more focused on hitting higher states of consciousness rather than addressing buried psychological baggage.

There are many layers to your mind which root many of your personal problems which meditation is largely unconcerned with.

A lot of Zen masters and enlightened masters can still have significant shadow.

@Leo Gura Could you expand on this idea of there being many layers that aren't the focused through meditation?